Life Lab
Life Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 in Santa Cruz that delivers garden-based K-8 education through standards-aligned curriculum, educator professional development, and youth programs at its UCSC Farm Garden Classroom. It also develops custom curriculum for national partners including FoodCorps, the American Heart Association, and the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersSanta Cruz, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Life Lab does
Life Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1979 in Santa Cruz, California, that cultivates children's connection to learning, food, and nature through garden-based education. The organization operates from its two-acre demonstration Garden Classroom located on the UCSC Farm in partnership with the UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS). Life Lab's core offering is an award-winning, standards-aligned curriculum library — including The Growing Classroom (K-6), Sowing the Seeds of Wonder (preschool-K), Gardens for Learning, and NGSS-aligned lessons — paired with hands-on youth programming (field trips, summer camps, UCSC teaching internships) and educator professional development delivered both in-person at the Garden Classroom and virtually via Zoom-based workshops.
The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure. Earned revenue comes from curriculum store sales, sliding-scale summer camp fees ($50-$525 per session), virtual workshop fees ($900 per 1.5-hour session), in-person professional development workshops, and school garden consultations ($150/hour for visits over 30 minutes). Contribution revenue comes from individual donations, planned giving, gifts of stock, and grants from institutional funders including the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Whole Foods Market Foundation, Sprouts Foundation, Emeril Lagasse Foundation, and others. A significant additional revenue stream is custom curriculum development contracts with national partners: Life Lab authored 162 K-8 lessons for the Emeril Lagasse Foundation's Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, 96 K-5 lessons for FoodCorps' Sprout Scouts, and the School Garden Manual and 36 lessons for the American Heart Association's Teaching Gardens.
Life Lab serves four primary customer segments: elementary and middle school students (ages 5-14), educators and school administrators, families, and school garden support organizations. Distribution is multi-channel: direct delivery at the Garden Classroom for local schools and families, virtual workshops for national/international reach, an online curriculum store, and partner-implementation channels (FoodCorps, AHA, California Department of Education, Emeril Lagasse Foundation, Kiss the Ground). The organization co-founded the School Garden Support Organization (SGSO) Network and hosts the annual School Garden Leadership Institute with the Whole Kids Foundation, positioning itself as both a program operator and a national field convener.
Life Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Life Lab
- Legal name
- Life Lab Science Program
- Website
- https://lifelab.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Life Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 in Santa Cruz that delivers garden-based K-8 education through standards-aligned curriculum, educator professional development, and youth programs at its UCSC Farm Garden Classroom. It also develops custom curriculum for national partners including FoodCorps, the American Heart Association, and the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Life Lab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Outdoor and Environmental Education
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB)
Keywords
Where Life Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Cruz
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Life Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Life Lab operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The primary revenue stream comes from individual donations, corporate giving programs, employer matching gifts, and planned giving through wills and trusts. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
- Program Fees: Revenue generated from summer camp registrations (sliding scale pricing), field trip fees, workshop registration fees, and professional development program fees.
- Curriculum Sales: Sale of educational curriculum materials including The Growing Classroom activity guide, Sowing the Seeds of Wonder, and other garden-based learning publications through the Life Lab store.
- Gifts of Stock and Non-Cash Assets: Acceptance of gifts of stock, real estate, and IRA distributions, which may provide additional tax benefits for donors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Per session | Summer Camp - Low Income Household |
| Unit Pricing | Per session | Summer Camp - Middle Income Household |
| Unit Pricing | Per session | Summer Camp - Higher Income Household |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Professional Consultation |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Workshop |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School Food and Garden Tour |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels7 records
Life Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Life Lab is a nonprofit that provides garden-based education programs and curriculum. Its core offerings include standards-aligned K-8 garden curriculum (such as The Growing Classroom), in-person and virtual professional development workshops for educators, hands-on field trips and summer camps for students at its Garden Classroom on the UCSC Farm, and custom curriculum development partnerships with national organizations. The organization trains educators to integrate science, nutrition, and environmental education through outdoor garden classrooms.
Product overview
Life Lab is a national leader in garden-based education, offering a comprehensive suite of programs and resources centered on its demonstration Garden Classroom at the UCSC Farm. The organization provides educator professional development through in-person workshops, virtual trainings, and the acclaimed Life Lab Curriculum aligned to NGSS standards. Youth programs include field trips, summer camps, and UCSC teaching internships. Life Lab also offers school garden consultations, custom curriculum development partnerships, and publications including The Growing Classroom guide. The organization operates the School Garden Leadership Institute for national training and supports regional networks like the Santa Cruz County Garden Educator Network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% of educators noted marked improvement in their effectiveness in implementing garden-enhanced nutrition education
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Life Lab
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Life Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Life Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Emeril Lagasse FoundationcoreLife Lab developed a Scope and Sequence for Emeril's Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, detailing 162 lessons for grades K-8. Life Lab also developed and delivered customized training to Emeril Lagasse Foundation partner schools.
- FoodCorpscoreLife Lab served as lead writer for FoodCorps' Sprout Scouts program (garden journeys for after-school and summer programs) and as Lead Curriculum Creation Advisor, generating 96 K-5 lessons connecting kids to healthy food.
- American Heart AssociationmajorLife Lab served as lead writer for the American Heart Association's Teaching Gardens program, developing a School Garden Manual, 36 lessons, parent materials, and New Garden Activation Kit.
- Kiss the GroundmajorLife Lab served as lead writer for Kiss the Ground's Soil Story Curriculum, a 5-lesson middle school series focused on the carbon cycle, photosynthesis, and soil science, available in English, Spanish, and Australian editions.
- California Department of EducationcoreLife Lab served as lead author for Getting Started: A guide for creating school gardens as outdoor classrooms, part of California's 'garden in every school' program. Also co-authored California School Garden Training Program materials with UC Davis.
- University of California Global Food InitiativemajorLife Lab, along with UC Berkeley and UC Davis, created Engaging University Students in Local School Gardens: A Toolkit for School Districts, School Garden Support Organizations and Universities.
- UC Davis Student FarmmajorCollaborated on California School Garden Training Program and Engaging University Students in Local School Gardens toolkit, along with Resource Conservation District of San Diego.
- California School Garden NetworkcoreLife Lab developed all web content for csgn.org and served on the content creation team for Gardens for Learning publication distributed to over 10,000 educators.
- Whole Kids FoundationcoreHost partner for School Garden Support Organization Leadership Institute, in partnership with the SGSO Network. Provides funding for national school garden initiatives.
- Keisen University (Japan)minorFaculty from this Tokyo women's university visited Life Lab for garden-based education workshops and brought Life Lab publications back to share with colleagues and students.
- New Leaf Community MarketsminorPartnered to create Field-To-Market-To-You food systems education program that visited classrooms and grocery stores, teaching students about local agricultural history and healthy food choices.
- School Garden Support Organization NetworkcoreCo-founder of the SGSO Network, which curates the largest collection of school garden-related webinars. Life Lab helps facilitate the network and presents resources nationally.
- UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS)coreGarden Classroom is a collaboration between Life Lab and UCSC CASFS, located on the UCSC Farm. Life Lab operates its demonstration garden on CASFS property.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Life Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Big Green: National nonprofit that builds learning gardens in schools and trains educators to use them for instruction. Comparable in mission, school-garden build-out, and educator training, with a broader national footprint.
- Whole Kids Foundation: Foundation supporting school gardens and salad bars, with an educator grant program. Life Lab is a host partner for its School Garden Support Organization Leadership Institute — closely aligned mission and overlapping school-garden audience.
- FoodCorps: National nonprofit connecting kids to healthy food through school gardens and food education. Life Lab has served as lead curriculum writer for FoodCorps' Sprout Scouts program, making them close collaborators with overlapping educator training and garden-based learning missions.
- Green Our Planet: Operates school garden STEM programs and garden-based teacher training, including a national teacher-training program. Directly comparable in combining school gardens, educator professional development, and STEM curriculum.
- Edible Schoolyard Project: Founded by Alice Waters, this nonprofit supports garden and kitchen classrooms in schools nationwide. Highly comparable to Life Lab in mission, K-8 garden-based curriculum focus, and educator training model.
Emerging players
- Green Bronx Machine: Urban school garden and food justice organization focused on K-12 students. Comparable in garden-based classroom and educator model, though primarily regional (New York) and serving an urban demographic.
- Captain Planet Foundation: Funds and supports environmental and garden-based education projects in K-12 schools. Comparable in mission alignment (garden + science education) and educator/school audience, but operates primarily as a grantmaker.
- Classroom in Bloom: Washington-state nonprofit running school gardens, field trips, and educator support. Comparable garden-based education model at a smaller regional scale, with similar youth/educator audience.
Broad incumbents
- National Gardening Association: National gardening organization that has published Life Lab's Growing Classroom curriculum. Comparable in gardener/horticulture education but broader in scope and operates at a larger institutional scale.
Regional players
- California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom: California-based nonprofit providing free agricultural literacy curriculum and educator training for K-12. Comparable in standards-aligned science curriculum, educator PD focus, and California geography, with a more crop-production orientation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Life Lab social profiles
Digital presenceLife Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Life Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Life Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Life Lab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Life Lab
What does Life Lab do?
Life Lab is a nonprofit that provides garden-based education programs and curriculum. Its core offerings include standards-aligned K-8 garden curriculum (such as The Growing Classroom), in-person and virtual professional development workshops for educators, hands-on field trips and summer camps for students at its Garden Classroom on the UCSC Farm, and custom curriculum development partnerships with national organizations. The organization trains educators to integrate science, nutrition, and environmental education through outdoor garden classrooms.
Is Life Lab a public or private company?
Life Lab is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Life Lab founded?
Life Lab was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Life Lab based?
Life Lab is headquartered in Santa Cruz, United States, in the North America region.
How does Life Lab make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are program Fees, curriculum Sales and gifts of Stock and Non-Cash Assets.
Who are Life Lab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Big Green, Whole Kids Foundation, FoodCorps, Green Our Planet and Edible Schoolyard Project. Emerging players are Green Bronx Machine, Captain Planet Foundation and Classroom in Bloom. National Gardening Association is listed as a broad incumbent. California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is listed as a regional player.
Does Life Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Life Lab.
What industry is Life Lab in?
Life Lab's product category is Outdoor and Environmental Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAB, Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology), with a secondary code of EDAMABAA, Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs). Its NAICS code is 61169 and its SIC code is 8200.